Page 21 of Touched By Darkness

When I return to Amenadiel’s mansion, it’s drizzling outside, and my hair is now a frizzy mess. Not that it matters. I’m not leaving Amenadiel’s mansion for the foreseeable future. I might just as well move in.

Wait…

Do I live here now?

“You’re back early,” Amenadiel points out, flashing me a smile that says he knew this would happen.

He’s where I left him, seated on the couch with a tumbler in hand and his feet crossed on the coffee table.

“You knew.”

He takes a sip, then winks at me. “Didn’t I say you’d be back?”

“But how is this part of your plan?” I throw my hands out and then let them fall helplessly by my sides. “I don’t get it, Amenadiel.”

“Why don’t you take a seat?”

I reluctantly walk up to the nearest armchair and slowly lower myself down.

“What did you think was part of my elaborate plan?”

My mouth opens and closes before I admit, “For Daemon to see me and be angry.”

“Ah, you thought he’d march over here and tear me to pieces, and that would somehow solve my situation. I like how you think, but alas, nothing is ever that straightforward. Especially not when you travel through doorways.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He’s just about to answer when the door opens, and his son, Dmitriy, calls out, “Dad?”

Amenadiel’s smile broadens even more, if that’s even possible, and I narrow my eyes. “In the living room.” Then he leans in conspiratorially, and whispers, “You’ll love this.”

Footsteps draw closer, and then Dmitriy walks in, dripping rainwater on the wooden floor. He looks at me and frowns. “Who are you?”

“Don’t be rude, son.” The amusement in Amenadiel’s voice is impossible to miss as he rises to his feet and gestures to me. “This is the daughter of a close friend of mine. She’ll be staying with us for a while.” To me, he says, “Aurelia, meet my son, Dmitriy.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” The words flow from my lips seamlessly, but I don’t hear them. It’s all white noise now.

What does this mean? Dmitriy doesn’t recognize me. It’s clear as day when he looks at me with no small amount of suspicion, as if he believes I’m after his family fortune.

“What friend?” he asks.

His father waves him away, making his way to the minibar. “An old friend from before your time. Why are you home early?”

Dmitriy walks deeper into the room, keeping his eyes glued to me the entire time. “Boredom, Dad.”

“Right... I’m enrolling Aurelia in classes tomorrow. I expect you to ensure she settles in okay.”

“My pleasure.” The tone in his voice tells me he thinks it’s anything but.

I narrow my eyes, and he narrows his back.

We’ve fucked. How is it that he doesn’t recognize me?

While we’re locked in the stare-down of a century, Amenadiel looks like he’s more amused than he has been in years. His eyes sparkle with humor when he refills his whisky glass. “I sense the tension.”

Dmitriy finally looks away, and I inhale a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Forgive me for being skeptical of newcomers, Dad.” Then he looks back at me. “Didn’t I see you at the academy today?”

His father replies for me, “I sent her to have a look around and familiarize herself with the building before she starts classes tomorrow.”

---